I’ve written before and I’ll write again that I don’t have a problem with marijuana usage, since it is really not a bad drug, and is much less dangerous than alcohol. However, it is still considered a Schedule I drug, illegal under federal law, which deems it to have no medicinal purposes. That last part could be up for debate, yet, it’s federal law. And once again the Obama/Holder Department of Justice has decided that justice isn’t blind and equal
(The Hill) The federal government on Thursday released new guidelines for federal prosecution of marijuana violations that mark a retreat from the aggressive guidelines of the past.
Instead of targeting individual recreational users, federal prosecutors are being told to prioritize goals like keeping marijuana from being sold to minors and preventing marijuana sales from funding criminal operations.
The thing is, most prosecutions aren’t done by federal prosecutors, but by state and local ones. So, what is really going on?
The new standards are most beneficial to marijuana users in Washington and Colorado, the two states where recreational marijuana use was legalized by ballot initiative in 2012.
Attorney General Eric Holder notified governors of the two states that, for the time being, the Justice Department would not take action to have the laws overturned.
The move should also relieve federal pressure on medical marijuana dispensaries in 22 states, many of which have been faced prosecution in recent years.
So, Holder has told the States that he refuses to enforce federal law on marijuana, which has been usurped by these states allowing medical and/or recreational usage (discussing State’s rights is a different discussion), in violation of his oath. We’ve seen this before, in terms of Team Obama refusing to enforce DOMA and a few other laws. Yet, the same DOJ has sued Arizona and others over crackdowns, which often mimic federal law, on illegal aliens. Also, suing over voter ID, which is not against federal law. In Obama’s America justice is applied haphazardously, with an eye towards politics. Lady Justice weeps.
